At a very young age, Helio Gracie learned traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu techniques
from his older brother, Carlos. In the late 1920s, he began to modify these techniques
to accommodate his frail physique with the objective of developing a system that
would enable him to defend himself against larger opponents. After years of refinement,
he proved his art's effectiveness by routinely defeating larger and stronger
opponents, some of whom outweighed him by as much as 100 pounds. As a result, Helio's
techniques quickly became the new expression of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil and set the
stage for a worldwide revolution in martial arts.

Although Gracie or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most effective martial art on the planet,
it is a relatively young martial art. Realizing that the key to global dissemination
of pure Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was the development of a formalized curriculum, the Gracie
Academy dedicated several years to organizing all the techniques in the most logical
sequence based on their complexity and usefulness in combat. Furthermore, we conduct
all group classes with the utmost concern for safety, and we demand that all students
treat each other respectfully regardless of skill level, gender, race, nationality,
or creed. At the Gracie Academy we don't teach people how to fight. We give people
confidence so they don't need to fight.

Gracie Combatives is the official beginner program of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. In this program, students learn the 36 most important techniques in a fun, safe, and cooperative training environment.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a way of life. The principles of discipline, patience, efficiency, and control are the keys to success on and off the mat. Whether your a dedicated practitioner of the art or just a fan of the Gracie way, the casual wear, training gear, and accessories in the Gracie Store will remind you to keep it real at all times. With all Gracie Store purchases, your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you're not 100% happy with your purchase, simply send it back and we'll replace it or refund your money (as long as you promise not to choke us out!). Select a category below to begin browsing, and then feel free to order online or give us a call at 1-877-472-2430 (Monday - Friday, 10am to 6pm PST) and we will gladly assist you over the phone. If you have a question about the status of your order feel free to shoot us an e-mail at
store@gracieacademy.com.

Gracie News

FRAUDULENT BLACK BELT ALERT!!!

October 9, 2015

Important Information for the Jiu-Jitsu Community

It has come to our attention that a Gracie University member, Mark McMahon, is misleading people to believe he is a 2nd degree jiu-jitsu black belt at HighKix Martial Arts in Latrobe, PA. Since it is very common for legitimate BJJ black belts to join Gracie University (and take the blue belt test) in pursuit of the street self-defense components of jiu-jitsu, before posting this, we needed to confirm that Mr. McMahon had not earned a legitimate black belt from another source. Upon reviewing the Gracie University records, here is what we found:

1. Mr. McMahon passed the Technical Blue Belt test via the Gracie University Video Evaluation Process on 3/24/2015. He is not an official blue belt and has not had his skills verified at a Certified Training Center.

2. Anytime a student submits a video evaluation for Technical Blue Belt consideration, we ask a series of questions to help with our assessment. Here are some of the pertinent GU questions and Mark McMahon's responses to them:

GU Question: What do you estimate to be the total number of hours you have trained in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu? Mark McMahon Response: Approx. 200 hours

GU: Have you learned Gracie or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from other sources? If so, please explain. MM: No

GU: Do you practice any other martial arts? If so, please explain which ones and for how long. MM: Tang Soo Do - 12 years

Based on the information gathered and the fact that Mr. McMahon has received no jiu-jitsu instruction from any sources outside of his study through Gracie University, we can conclude, without a doubt, that he is misrepresenting himself as a jiu-jitsu black belt.

Black Belts Are NOT TransferableWith the explosive popularity of MMA and jiu-jitsu, many martial arts schools are offering multiple disciplines under one roof. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. If however, a black belt instructor of one discipline such as Tang Soo Do, decides that he will wear a black belt when teaching a jiu-jitsu class, even though he is not a black belt in jiu-jitsu, this is called "Black Belt Transferring" and this is a SERIOUS problem.

There is a strict policy against Black Belt Transferring at all Gracie Academy Certified Training Centers, and even though Mr. McMahon is not certified to teach, and his school has no affiliation to the Gracie Academy, his actions are condemnable.

As jiu-jitsu's popularity continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, fraudulent black belts will continue to surface. It's up to the community to continue reporting suspicious activity so that people are not mislead regarding the authenticity of their instructor's rank or lineage.